


Together 'Til The End

by nekocrouton



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2017-11-16 03:03:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/534766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekocrouton/pseuds/nekocrouton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something that I wrote when I was kind of in a bad headspace at the time, and I pretty much wrote it because it was an expression of how I was feeling.</p>
<p>Nick's ultimate betrayal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together 'Til The End

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in 2011 and has not been edited since.

_“Together ‘til the end, right?”_

 

If only they had been able to keep that promise once they had left the safe room.  The bridge was the last obstacle blocking the way between the survivors and sweet, glorious rescue.  Too bad crossing the foreboding, metal, zombie-infested structure was easier said than done.

 

About a quarter ways across, Rochelle had met her untimely demise via a Charger who took her clean off of the bridge, angling her perfectly into the water below, through a gap in the supports.  The beefy-armed beast died in the process as well, a small consolation to the others that were left behind. 

 

With no time for mourning, the three men pushed on through the constant horde of infected.  They slashed and hacked and shot their way through, until they came upon a Tank blocking their only way to freedom from the hell that the world had become.  The group attempted to fight it, despite the nonstop onslaught of the commons threatening to get in their way with each gunshot, and they were even fortunate enough to find a stray gas can to light the hulking beast up with.  Too bad just as Coach ignited the red container, the Tank chose that moment to bring down his muscular arm and effortlessly swat the eldest member of the team over the side of the bridge.

 

The two remaining survivors pressed on, and eventually took down the testosterone-laden giant, but not without having suffered damage from the fight.  With no first aid left to patch their wounds, Nick and Ellis climbed the ladder leading to the upper part of the bridge, wincing in pain with each strained movement of their muscles.

 

They somehow managed to make it to the end of the metal death trap, the rescue helicopter now in full view, and the two men couldn’t believe their weary eyes.  But they weren’t in the clear yet, they still had to get down the ramp and onto the flying machine.

 

To their dismay, another horde was bearing down their backs, and as they slowly made their way past a military grade Hummer, Nick happened to see a pipe bomb lying on the hood of the vehicle.  He quickly grabbed it and tossed it, watching briefly as the infected behind him raced towards the ticking device.  By now, Ellis was moving quite slowly, muscle fatigue and pain taking over his body once the adrenaline in his bloodstream had worn off. 

 

Nick noticed the pain that the mechanic seemed to be suffering; it was clear across his face.  He wasn’t doing that great himself, but better than Ellis was, and he put an arm around the youngster in order to urge him along faster.  Unfortunately, the pipe bomb that had gone off behind them only did so much to stave off the horde, and he could hear the grunts and cries of the infected beginning to get closer once again. 

 

He turned to shoot at the zombies coming up behind him, only to be greeted by the clicking sound of an empty chamber.  Nick cursed loudly as he looked to the man next to him, and then his empty weapon, panic beginning to rise as the noises behind him got louder and louder.

 

The conman glanced over to the helicopter beyond the fence, the blades spinning and ready to take them away from this apocalyptic hell once they got aboard.  He looked over at Ellis once again, his extreme pain apparent in his expression, and he knew that there was no way that they would both make it with how slowly the kid was moving.

 

_“Together ‘til the end, right?”_

 

Nick steeled his jaw and let go of Ellis to support his own weight.  The kid immediately stumbled to the ground as he was released, and a look of panic and fright quickly appeared upon his face as he gazed up at the white-suited gambler with confusion.

 

“N-Nick?”

 

“I… I’m sorry Ellis.  I’m sorry.”

 

Nick quickly turned his heel and started to sprint towards the helicopter with whatever energy he could muster, and it wasn’t long before he heard the screams and cries from his abandoned companion as the infected descended upon him.  He grit his teeth as he tried not to listen to the awful sounds as Ellis met his end, willing himself not to look back, and he finally heard one last strangled cry of his name before he desperately scrambled into the back of the helicopter. 

 

He flopped down upon the bench in the aircraft, breathless, sweaty and blood covered, and as the helicopter took off, he buried his head in his hands, his body shivering.

 

_“Together ‘til the end, right?”_

 

The betrayal on the kid’s face as he left him behind would be etched in his memory forever, and he would be haunted by his final cries of agony for the rest of his life.


End file.
